Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Wet To The End
We went from
having no rain for almost a month, to a tropical downpour today. When I went for my daily run, it was cloudy and calm. About
halfway through, the sky opened up. It got to the point where I couldn't get any wetter.
We are facing a big storm later this weekend. The
weather people like to hype it up. These things often turn out to be nothing.
If you make enough doomsday forecasts, it eventually happens.
4:53 pm edt
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Lot of Hot Air
I was never
a fan of hot air balloons. I think they are a bunch of nonsense. They try to create a romanticized view of life, but end
up being reckless when they crash.
Last
week, a balloon went down in Grafton, Mass. Nobody was hurt, but several cars in a parking lot were damaged. What is the remedy
for the car owners? Do they need to just suck it up?
I
stopped believing in hot air balloons after I saw the "Wizard of Oz" when I was a kid.
11:54 pm edt
Monday, September 28, 2015
The $5 Billion Bargain
I believe that the US Postal
Service still provides a vital service to citizens and businesses. They will lose an estimated $5 billion this year, in spite
of some reforms.
The
use of the Internet has devastated the Postal Service. I pay almost all of my bills on-line. That happens all across America.
I always choose
them if I need to ship something, but they are struggling against UPS and FEDEX.
They need to do a better job with local mail. It takes too long. A friend mailed me
a letter a week ago and I sill have not received it. Where is it? It only needed to travel across another town, with a total
journey of about 18 miles.
It
fell into some Black Hole along the way.
9:07 pm edt
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Pet Cost
I have not been involved with
pets for over 35 years. Things were so different back then. The three dogs my family had never went to the veterinarian unless
it was something really major. They ate food out of the can and chewed on bones.
It's crazy now with the cost of pet health. I got a spam email tonight about pet insurance.
It's a real issue for owners.
It costs so much to own a pet now. It got so
out of hand over the years.
10:23 pm edt
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Mistakes In Books
The book I'm currently
reading has two errors in it. One involves a misplaced comma in a long quote which makes it sound confusing. The other refers
to Middlesex as a town in Massachusetts. It's a county.
I wonder how these got by the editors. I'm seeing more errors in the newspapers I read
daily. There is even poor grammar.
It
doesn't surprise me to see these. Writing skills are no longer emphasized. People don't write in complete sentences. Social
media doesn't help.
11:15 pm edt
Friday, September 25, 2015
Green Leaves
I'm very surprised to see
that leaves have not turned color yet. October is five days away and everything is still green. We have not had a lot of cool
nights.
That could change
soon, but will it? Who knows what the weather will be for autumn. We are only in the first week.
11:25 pm edt
Thursday, September 24, 2015
The Daily 22
There is
so much empty rhetoric during this presidential campaign and we still have a year to go. Politicians look to say what
the people want to hear.
It's
easy to pander to veterans. They are treated so poorly by the VA. There are so many horror stories of people dying while waiting
to get appointments.
Apparently,
everything will be better for veterans after the 2016 election.Try telling that to the 22 veterans who commit suicide every
day. It's an epidemic, but the wheels turn so slowly to improve things.
9:40 pm edt
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Story Goes Down
The local evening news is
filled with stories that have nothing to do with what is really going on in the world. I often wonder why I still watch it.
They hit a new low yesterday when they showed a
video which had gone viral. It featured a rat dragging a slice of pizza down the stairs of a New York subway station. It had
over one million views on the Internet. The newscasters thought it was so cute.
There is nothing worse than rats in a subway station or any place. They only breed disease
and make the quality of life worse.
The
station should be embarrassed for devoting time to this nonsense, but they all do it because they can't do anything better.
7:20 pm edt
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
No Need To Flex
You can always count on people
to act foolish at sporting events when the fan camera shows them on the Jumbotron. People start waving and mugging for their
moment of fame. Some arenas and stadiums have a kiss camera which is even more obnoxious.
The latest is the flexcam where people flex their bicep and show off.
We could live without this and the world would
be better.
10:37 am edt
Monday, September 21, 2015
Just Take A Shower
I'm very skeptical about the
claim from the 60 year old chemical engineer and MIT graduate who has not showered in 12 years.
He only uses a bacterial spray to keep himself clean. He
said that soap impedes the sweat and oil-fighting bacteria that the body produces naturally.
I think this is a bunch of nonsense. Some soaps do a better
job than others, but I think everyone should take a daily shower.
I wonder how he feels about doing laundry.
4:14 pm edt
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Soon To Be Cold
We are down to the final hours
of summer. The last several days have been hot and humid. I was at a UMass football game today and was hot in
the stands.
I'll be
at the five other home games this season. It will get progressively cooler until the last game in mid November. By then, I'll
be wearing a winter coat, hat and gloves.
Today's warm weather will only be a memory.
10:41 pm edt
Friday, September 18, 2015
Bad News For The News
Newspapers
are slowly becoming extinct. The paper version is being replaced by on-line content which younger people like.
I still buy two daily ones and purchase the
e-paper version of another. They are pricing themselves out of business.
The iconic New York Daily News is on life support after losing $30 million last year. Circulation
has fallen 40% in the past year. Deep staff cuts have been made.
Radical moves will be made according to reports, including publishing a paper edition only
on Sunday and staying with a digital edition for the rest of the week.
No company can continue to lose money like this and keep their doors open.
7:47 pm edt
Thursday, September 17, 2015
The Price Is Low
Public works projects never
get built at their estimated cost. New York and New Jersey have agreed to contribute $10 billion towards the construction
of a new train tunnel under the Hudson River to connect the two states. The federal government would contribute the other
$10 billion.
The
105 year old tunnel is in desperate need of replacement. It has been talked about for years while nothing happened.
There is no way on earth that the tunnel will be
built for a cost of $20. If that's the price in 2015, we can only speculate what the bids will be if they ever get solicited.
11:23 pm edt
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Some Will Leave
It's moments before the second Republican
Presidential candidate debate. The lower four just finished and the top eleven, lead by Donald Trump, will do their thing.
After tonight, it will be over for some. There are
too many candidates in the race. Many are having a hard time raising money.
It's only a matter of time before some drop out.
7:59 pm edt
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Don't Cover It
I have not eaten a piece of
chocolate since December 2008. I don't miss it or think about it. Sweets have been eliminated from my diet.
I saw a picture of a fruit basket on Facebook
which included chocolate covered strawberries. This would be the last thing I would ever eat. Chocolate doesn't go with
fruit as far as I'm concerned.
8:24 pm edt
Monday, September 14, 2015
A Burning State
California has certainly had its share of devastating wildfires over the years. The current crisis is hard
to watch. So many homes are being destroyed. Communities evaporate before your eyes.
I had the good fortune of taking seven trips to California between 1993 and 1999, spending
about 70 days there. I saw a lot of the state by driving around. There is so much great scenery.
There was always the evidence of damaging
fires no matter where I went. Yosemite National Park and Malibu had some big-time scorched earth.
The state is so resilient and comes back every
time.
11:23 pm edt
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Long Sleeve Time
It's hard to believe I wore
long sleeves for the first time since spring while running today.
With only 10 days left to summer, cooler weather is upon us. There will certainly be warm
days and so-called Indian Summer, but the warmest days are behind us.
11:46 pm edt
Saturday, September 12, 2015
How To Judge
The process to select court
judges varies by states. There is no consistency across the country. Many states have a judicial screening committee
which forwards their recommendations to the governor. Other states have elections that are no different than any other political
office.
No matter how
you look at it, judges are selected through a political process. I'm not sure which way is better, although I tend to support
judicial screening committees.
7:31 pm edt
Friday, September 11, 2015
Memories Will Fade
Days of Infamy
eventually fade into history. We are seeing that with December 7, 1941. It gets less media coverage as time passes, but will
be bigger next year on the 75th anniversary.
The same thing has happened to the assassination of President Kennedy. A person would need to be at
least 56 to have any type of memory of the event. The 50th anniversary got huge coverage, but it faded last year.
September 11th is still raw to most Americans, but
anyone under 18 would have no recollection of this event. As years pass, the number of people who were around will continue
to dwindle.
That is
the way it is with any historical event.
7:06 pm edt
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Regulating Salt
What role should government
play in regulating our health? New York City is taking a big step in having national food chains disclose their foods
with sodium levels more than the recommended daily allowance of 2,300 mg.
After seeing a list of the offending items, I was shocked to see their sodium levels. Some had
over 4,000 mg. Fortunately, I don't ever eat stuff like that, but many people do.
We have a severe public health issue when it comes to trans fats and sodium. NYC took a dramatic
step to address trans fats, in spite of being accused of overreaching.
I don't think there is anything wrong with informing the public over the nutritional value of certain
foods. The companies won't do it on their own. It's up to government to take the step.
7:07 pm edt
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
A Dirty Habit Confronted
The mayor of Boston signed
a bill today outlawing smokeless tobacco at any athletic fields or arenas in the city. This includes Fenway park where
baseball players will test the new law.
MLB
has a major problem with those who chew the stuff. It's a dirty habit that has no role in the game.
Enforcement of this law will be a big challenge,
especially at Fenway. Most players will just pay the $250 fine and keep on chewing, in spite of its role in causing cancer.
2:13 pm edt
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Reading Changes
Libraries are losing more
books as they try to reinvent themselves. My local one has more PC's and videos. There are definitely fewer books on the shelves.
Colleges face the same challenges. The University
of Maryland will be putting all of their required textbooks on-line at no cost to students. This will save them thousands
of dollars.
At
what point will textbooks disappear from campuses? It's still a large and lucrative industry, with changes in editions that
force students into buying the latest one.
I'm
not the biggest fan of e-reading. It takes me longer to read the Boston Globe than a print copy.
I still prefer books.
1:57 pm edt
Monday, September 7, 2015
No Big Bang
Massachusetts, Delaware and
New Jersey are the only states that prohibit the retail sale of fireworks. There are plenty of stores on the New Hampshire
border ready to sell their wares.
A
group of citizens is trying to get a ballot initiative for 2016 that would finally allow the sale of fireworks in the
Bay State.
Supporters
of the bill cite the loss of tax revenue and convenience for those who want to purchase them.
I am against the sale of any type of fireworks.
If people want them, they can go to New Hampshire.
People tend to be careless with their use and have little regard for those who are forced to listen
to their noise.
2:17 pm edt
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Bill On The Road
I will never
be rich enough to walk past pennies on the street. I've picked them up my entire life and will continue. Quarters, dimes and
nickels are even better.
During
my run today, I found a ten dollar bill. It certainly stood out among the sand and other bits of road trash.
I wonder how it got there.
10:51 pm edt
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Fallin Trees
There was another freak accident
yesterday in New York City with falling tree limbs. Several people were hurt in Bryant Park when a large limb suddenly snapped.
This is not the first time this has happened. A
couple of years ago, a person was killed in Central Park when a limb came crashing down.
There are so many trees that are potential hazards. They are all around us. I see one daily
when I run. It's only a matter of time before half of this tree comes down.
7:07 pm edt
Friday, September 4, 2015
Droning On
The use of personal drone
aircraft needs to have more regulations. It's only a matter of time before there is a tragedy or someone uses one as
a weapon.
There was
a close call last night at the US Tennis Open in Queens, NY. A hobbyist had his drone fly into the stadium during a match.
It crashed into the stands, but didn't hurt anyone. He was arrested, but questions remain.
There are too many cases of reckless use of these things.
7:03 pm edt
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Drinking From The Charles
Many communities
across America draw their drinking water from sources that were heavily polluted at one time. We are lead to believe that
it's a safe thing to do. We don't always know the source of the water we drink.
A local Boston brewery made a big announcement of their plans to brew a beer made with water
drawn from the Charles River. It's hard to imagine that this would ever happen considering it's past history of extreme
pollution.
The only
time it seems to matter is when you know the source. The company is banking on people embracing the idea of drinking beer
made from the Charles River.
3:47 pm edt
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Too Young To Play
Parents seem to have their
kids enrolled in all sorts of activities at an early age. How old should a child be before they participate in sports?
I recently saw a picture on Facebook of a six
year old getting ready for a football clinic. They had all the padding on.
With all of the concern over concussions, maybe they should wait another year or two. I find
it hard to believe that kids at that age make their own decisions on which sports to pursue.
In many cases, the parents live through their children.
You can see it at a practice or game.
6:55 pm edt
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Twilight Time
Once you get into September, summer is on a very short leash. The next
few days will be hot and humid during daylight hours, but cooler at night.
Summer
came and went. Autumn is on the doorstep.
Can winter be that
far away?
10:32 pm edt